Whatever the weather, whether you’re out and about or enjoying the great indoors, June is bustin’ out all over!
RiverArts presents 9th Annual Music Tour – A Full Day of FREE Live Music
Saturday, June 1, 11am-9pm
Rain date: June 2
Venues across Hastings-on-Hudson, Dobbs Ferry, Irvington, and Tarrytown
The RiverArts Music Tour celebrates the vibrant music community of the Rivertowns offering an opportunity for guests to hear their favorite local performers and discover something new—from folk to rock, classical to jazz, country to world music. The 9th annual RiverArts Music Tour will feature 300+ musicians across 30+ venues, with live music on the hour from 11am to 9pm. The Tour culminates at 6-9pm at the Dobbs Ferry Waterfront where Tyrone Burkett Emancipation, Boojum, and a Singer/Songwriter Showcase will take the Waterfront Stage. Food and beverage trucks will be available, with the Phoenicia Flea Market open during the day. Parking is FREE, so bring your blankets and chairs.
Find event schedules and more information on the River Arts Music Tour website
Bryant Park Picnic Performances: New York City Opera Presents Puccini Celebration
June 1, 7pm
Live in Bryant Park, NYC
Honoring the 100th anniversary of the passing of Giacomo Puccini, one of the greatest opera composers in history, Picnic Performances opening weekend features New York City Opera celebrating Puccini’s immense and indelible legacy. Featuring the New York City Opera Orchestra and Chorus and conducted by Maestro Joseph Rescigno, the concerts will include selections from each and every Puccini opera, performed by some of the brightest stars of the opera world singing some of the most beloved arias, duets, and ensembles in all of opera. Bryant Park Picnic Performances presented by Bank of America is a free outdoor festival that welcomes all New Yorkers to experience the city’s vibrant arts and culture. This summer, enjoy extraordinary artists and events in collaboration with a wide array of New York’s cultural institutions.
Learn more about Picnic Performances in Bryant Park
Watch the live stream on YouTube
The White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival
Saturday, June 1, and Sunday, June 2, from 10am-5pm
Tibbits Park, North Broadway at Main Street in White Plains, NY
The WPOAF has brought diverse displays of fine arts and crafts to tree-lined Tibbits Park in the heart of bustling downtown White Plains for over 50 years! Paintings, photography, ceramics, glasswork, jewelry, textiles, and more are all on display. The festival is a great place to experience art and shop for one-of-a-kind gifts, jewelry, and home décor. The event also features emerging artists, the artwork of our scholarship winners, a free children’s art workshop, and unique food vendors. WPOAF donates the proceeds to scholarships awarded to White Plains High School art students to pursue their creative passions in college. Free admission!
Learn more on the White Plains Outdoor Arts Festival website
Westchester Pride
Hosted by The LOFT LGBTQ+ Community Center
Sunday, June 2, 12-5 pm
Court Street between Martine and Main, and Renaissance Plaza in downtown White Plains, NY
The LOFT’s mission is to create a vibrant space for celebration, healing, and connection. Experience a bustling marketplace filled with vendors offering a variety of goods, information, and services. The heart of the festivities lies at the concert stage, where Court Street and Renaissance Plaza converge. Enjoy a lineup of talented entertainers, hosted by dynamic Pride emcees. Keep the celebration going at the after-party at Ron Blacks Beer Hall from 5:30 – 8pm.
View the Westchester Pride event schedule on the LOFT website
Westchester County presents 2024 Cultural Heritage Celebrations
Kensico Dam Plaza, at the north end of the Bronx River Parkway, Valhalla
Experience a multitude of cultures this summer without ever leaving the country. Gather your family and friends, leave your passport at home, and enjoy traditions from around the world. All festivals will be held rain or shine. Seating is informal; bring blankets or folding chairs for seating on the lawn. No coolers will be allowed. Admission and parking are free. On Bicycle Sundays, Kensico Dam Plaza can be accessed via Route 22, from the north or south.
-Asian-American Festival / Saturday, June 1, noon to 6pm
-Albanian Festival / Sunday, June 2, noon to 6 pm
-African-American Festival / Sunday, June 23, noon to 6pm
Visit the Westchester Parks website to learn more about Cultural Heritage Festivals at Kensico Dam Plaza
The Westchester Choral Society presents the 44th Season of Summer Sings
Tuesdays 7-9pm
In the air-conditioned Memorial United Methodist Church, 250 Bryant Ave, White Plains, NY.
A Westchester Choral Society tradition! Everyone in the community who loves to sing is welcome to join. Music scores will be available at the door; admission includes refreshments and use of the score. Ample free parking, too!
June 4: Brahms Requiem | Conductor David Baranowski, Purchase alum, Westchester Choral Society, Hudson Chorale
June 11: Faure Requiem; Vivaldi Gloria | Conductor Frank Nemhauser, Berkshire Choral International, Mannes School of Music
June 18: Mendelssohn Elijah | Conductor John T. King, New Choral Society, Hitchcock Church of Scarsdale
June 25: Mozart Requiem | Conductor Christine Howlett, Greenwich Choral Society
Learn more about the Westchester Choral Society on their website
PBS presents Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story
On-demand through Sunday, June 9
Using his camera as a “weapon against injustice,” Chinese American photographer Corky Lee’s art was his activism. His unforgettable images of Asian American life empowered generations. This film’s intimate portrait reveals the triumphs and tragedies of the man behind the lens.
Watch “Photographic Justice: The Corky Lee Story” on PBS.org
Caramoor presents Soundscapes
Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY
Sunday, June 9, 12pm
The grounds are open! Come open your ears at Caramoor’s Soundscapes, a day to explore the sound art collection and discover a world of aural fascinations. Listen to Rivers are our Brothers, an electronic song cycle on ecological responsibility told from the point of view of the land, composed by Majel Connery. Experience Darian Donovan Thomas’ Safe Space installation, as well as a live set from the genre-bending composer and multi-instrumentalist. Try your hand at the theremin during workshops with the New York Theremin Society. Wander through our lush, enchanted gardens with your ears awakened anew. While you explore Caramoor’s innovative sound art collection, our distinguished sound artists will be on hand to share their creations for a deep sensory experience the whole family will enjoy. This event is free!
Visit Caramoor’s website to learn more about the sound artists and their work, and to RSVP for Soundscapes
Caramoor presents Celebrating Juneteenth: Charles Turner & Uptown Swing
Caramoor Center for Music & the Arts, 149 Girdle Ridge Road, Katonah, NY
Sunday, June 16, 4pm
Join Caramoor to celebrate African American freedom and achievement! Known as our country’s second Independence Day, Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved African Americans and honors their families, heritage, and resilience. Millions celebrate this nationally and globally significant American holiday. Channeling the spirit of Harlem with vibrant swing and vital blues, Charles Turner & Uptown Swing perform music from the 1920s to the present day. Family-friendly activities complete this annual June jubilee steeped in tradition and joy. All are welcome! This event is FREE. Note that there is no built-in seating on Friends Field, so please bring your own chairs and/or blankets. All events at Caramoor take place rain or shine. In the event of bad weather, this Friends Field concert will move under the fully covered Venetian Theater tent. This is a large tent with open sides and seating already provided.
Learn more about the Juneteenth Celebration at Caramoor on their website
Cleve Gray’s Threnody and Olivier Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time
Neuberger Museum of Art, Purchase College
Sunday, June 30, 4-5pm
An unforgettable experience at the intersection of art, music, and spirituality.
The Neuberger Museum of Art and Copland House join forces to bring together two epic artworks, visual and musical, that share a focus on profound personal restoration and renewal. Cleve Gray’s immense Threnody (1972) and Olivier Messiaen’s monumental Quartet for the End of Time (1941) respond to wartime death and destruction not with rage but with love and hope. A light reception will follow the concert. This is a free event.
To learn more and RSVP please visit the Purchase College website
PBS presents Great Performances: Purlie Victorious
On-demand through July 19
Great Performances presents its seventh annual “Broadway’s Best” lineup, premiering on PBS (check local listings), pbs.org/gperf, the PBS App. Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr. stars in Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch, Ossie Davis’s groundbreaking 1961 satire about a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner. Nominated for six 2024 Tony Awards including Best Revival of a Play, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play (Leslie Odom, Jr.), Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play (Kara Young), Best Direction of a Play (Kenny Leon), Best Costume Design of a Play (Emilio Sosa), and Best Scenic Design of a Play (Derek McLane), the production was recorded live at the Music Box Theatre in January 2024.
Watch Purlie Victorious on PBS.org
PBS presents Great Performances: Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary
On-demand on PBS (check local listings)
Also available on pbs.org/gperf and the PBS App
Beginning with their first collaboration on Oklahoma! in 1943, Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II revolutionized Broadway by integrating music and dance with well-crafted storylines to create a cohesive new form of musical theater. With a string of blockbusters including Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song, and The Sound of Music, the duo garnered 34 Tony Awards, plus 15 Academy Awards for their film adaptations. Directed and choreographed by Christopher Gattelli, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary features an all-star cast at London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, including Michael Ball, Joanna Ampil, Lucy St. Louis, Daniel Dae Kim, Maria Friedman, Audra McDonald, Julian Ovenden, Aaron Tveit, Marisha Wallace and Patrick Wilson, with additional surprise appearances by Rita Moreno and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
Watch the Rodgers and Hammerstein 80th Anniversary on PBS.org
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
2015 Route 9 in Garrison, NY
Professional theatre in an open-air tent, with pre-show picnicking on the grounds overlooking the Hudson.
This season they present:
–By the Queen by Whitney White. Directed by Shana Cooper, adapted from William Shakespeare’s Henry VI and Richard II
-World Premiere of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Heidi Armbruster. Directed by Ryan Quinn. Adapted from Agatha Christie.
-World Premiere of Medea: Re-versed by Luis Quintero. Co-Conceived and Directed by Nathan Winkelstein. Adapted from Euripides in Co-production with Red Bull Theater and Bedlam.
View The HVSF Season at a Glance on their website
Out at the Tent
Sunday, June 23
An evening filled with culture, community, and entertainment. The event begins with picnicking and exploring the grounds (with complimentary surprises!) and ends with a fabulous performance of By the Queen by Whitney White. Come dressed in your most queen-like fit, whatever that means to you. Complimentary reception with drinks and light fare is free to all. Tickets to the performance of By the Queen start at $1o
Learn more about “Out at the Tent”
Dia Art Foundation presents Steve McQueen
Dia Beacon, 3 Beekman Street, Beacon, New York
Open Fridays–Mondays, 10 am–5 pm
For more than 30 years, artist and filmmaker Steve McQueen has continually investigated the possibilities inherent in film—as a material, a documentary tool, and a storytelling medium—resulting in work that is formally inventive and politically pointed. At Dia Beacon, the artist presents a new work in which he builds on past experiments into how light, color, and sound affect and upend our perception of space, time, and ourselves. With no moving image component, Bass uses only the most basic, structural elements of film—light and sound—to effectively sculpt Dia Beacon’s lower level and offer an experience that both speaks to the past and to new ways of being. Recorded on-site in response to the space and conducted by McQueen, the sonic component of Bass was created in collaboration with an intergenerational group of musicians led by renowned bassist Marcus Miller and featuring Meshell Ndegeocello, Aston Barrett Jr., Mamadou Kouyaté, and Laura-Simone Martin.
Dia Beacon is open to the public. Advance reservations are strongly suggested. Hudson Valley residents receive free admission to Dia Beacon on the last Sunday of each month.
Visit DiaArt.org to learn more
Culture Picks celebrates the performing arts. In each post, PAC staff member Coni Guhl shines the spotlight on work by artists that you know and love from their appearances at The Purchase PAC, and offers recommendations about other performing arts events that you really should not miss. Experience them all!
All times are EDT unless otherwise noted.
Pictured: Performance at the Neuberger Museum of Art, with Cleve Gray’s Threnody, courtesy of the Museum.
